Good articule but Rowling always seems to bring up new charcters to fill teaching post so either she will break that tradition, make new ones that aren't important to the story line (she said that all the important charcters have been introduced), or Harry really isn't returning to Hogwarts, or the school is closed. We simply don't have enough info to know at moment.

to be honest, i don't think that hogwarts will have much of a relevance to the story anymore. lady lupin i think your forgetting what harry said in the scene after dumbledore's burial. j rowling roughly outlined the plot of the next book and in it harry himself said that he did not think that he would be returning. also if you take the point of horcruxes into consideration, then in hogwarts harry will meet a metaphorical brick wall. the subject of horcruxes is banned from hogwarts. even hermione, super bookworm as she is, could only find two lines on the subject. even in the restricted section. what goes on in hogwarts is, i believe, going to be completely irrelevant to the final tome of the series.

Dear Lady Lupin,
Your insight and research into the faculty of Hogwarts is excelent! I personally think that RAB is alive and will play a vital role in book 7. JKR has hinted too much about him. Also, I believe that Harry will return to hogwarts to retrieve the potions book, and possibly find something else in the room of requirement that will ultimately aid him.

to be honest, i don't think that hogwarts will have much of a relevance to the story anymore. lady lupin i think your forgetting what harry said in the scene after dumbledore's burial. j rowling roughly outlined the plot of the next book and in it harry himself said that he did not think that he would be returning. also if you take the point of horcruxes into consideration, then in hogwarts harry will meet a metaphorical brick wall. the subject of horcruxes is banned from hogwarts. even hermione, super bookworm as she is, could only find two lines on the subject. even in the restricted section. what goes on in hogwarts is, i believe, going to be completely irrelevant to the final tome of the series.

I think that Harry won't return to Hogwarts as a student, but he will return for other reasons. Remember that there are some very valuable people and artifacts at Hogwarts that Harry may have to use in his quest to find and destroy the Horcruxes. As far as the faculty roster is concerned, it may not be so important as to who is on it but who IS NOT on it. If someone is a member of the Hogwarts' faculty, how much will they be able to aid Harry while performing their educational duties once the term has begun?

One could argue that Harry Potter has been the best DADA teacher seen so far in the series. Lupin focused mainly on Dark Creature defense. Harry taught defense against attack, including the Patronus, something Lupin was quite reluctant to do with Harry.

I can certainly see that a war-time Hogwarts, remaining open for maybe 10-30% of the normal complement, would be forced to make do. While ordinarily a 17-year old would not be considered for a teaching job, under the circumstances, Harry might be the only person willing to accept if asked.

Being a teacher would prohibit Harry from playing Quidditch for Gryffindor. He would be free to travel when not teaching, and given the reduced school population, teaching would not take much of Harry's time. It does put Harry where all the tools he needs are located:
DD Portrait
HBP potions book
Dobby
The Pensive
Library
Goodies in the Room of Requirement
Grawp

In some order, Harry will attend a wedding, visit 4 Privet Drive, celebrate his 17-th birthday, find out what the expiration of the blood protection means to him and the Dursleys, receive his Hogwarts Letter, ALL before September 1!

Note that Harry was left at Hogwarts, in late June, when Book Six closed. A lot can happen before the next school year starts.

A very interesting topic. I have always thought the roles of the teachers, as is the case in the real world, are immensely important to Harry's life and success. The scene in which each teacher's response corresponds to his/her house/house quality is very interesteing, very valid, and I most likely would not have noticed it had Spinner's End not pointed it out.
However, it seems that Percy Weasley's prospective as a new teacher are very great, and yet he didn't even get his own heading as Krum and Lupin (etc.) did. It seems very likely to me that he will play a role at Hogwarts because of how much emphasis has been put on him thus far: his role in the ministry, his roles as Prefect and Head Boy when he was at school, his role as stand-in judge for the Tri-Wizard Tournamentand, and his lack of current family ties. This detailed buildup cannot have been for nothing. Jo is, I think, preparing us for something bigger in store for Percy -- and a teaching post seems a very likely path...

Great editorial.
I think that Percy will come back as Griffindore head of house. This will antagonize the trio greatly and bring the Ministry back to Hogwarts without Dolores. However, we know that Percy holds Dolores in high regard (and DD in low esteem) so we can have Dolores looking in at Hogwarts via Percy.
Percy would teach either DADA or Transfiguration. It really doesn't matter because the reason Percy is ther is to annoy and be the fly in the ointment.

I don't believe Hagrid could be head of house because he never graduated. He is a teacher because of his vast experience with creatures and his innate understanding of them. He is not an intellectual powerhouse able to act in any other capacity.

I also believe that so few students will be coming back that they will not be sorted. I remember the sorting hat's song about "have you ever seen a great pair than Giffindore and Sylerine...". I think that the theme for the last book will be unity and healing. The glass jars with the house points for Gryffindore was destroyed. This is highly symbolic that the animonsity of the 4 houses has to end. Even the hat did not enjoy the "quartering". And we all know that the hat has some wisdom the it tries to impart at the begining of the past few terms. There will be so few students that I believe that they may even be combined into one or two dormatories. Maybe we won't even need a head of GRyffindore because it will not exit! Maybe this is why the Gryffindore glass -point tube was broken....

It will be interesting to see how much Harry informs Minerva. She will most certainly be informed more than the Minister of Magic. DD didn't trust him and neither does Harry for a few reasons. Harry doesn't trust Percy, Percy adores the Minster and Dolores, and there will be friction! It will probably start at the wedding...that will be interesting.

I would like to see Charlie have a vital role for Harry with his curse-breaking skills. I would like to see Neville come into his own. His character is so interesting and complex. He has grown so much. He will stay at Hogwarts and have a pivitol role in the last book. Maybe he'll get Bella in the end!

Remember that JK told us that the tasks in the first book forshadowed what was to come. The HBP was all about Snape, potions and logic. Harry went to the last task alone, which he will have to do again. But remember that Harry did not expect to see Quirrell--a teacher in disguise, the one no one expected to be the servent of LV. I think we have to take this clue and analyze the teacher appoitments to see if there is a "Quirrell in the midst". Who gets the teaching positions will have a pivitol role in the end. I don't think it is Sluggy-- I kinda like his character. It redeems the Slytherine lot. I think it will be the new appointee(s), whoever s/he is.

I also want to briefly go back to Neville. It was Neville's 10 points that gave Griffindore the House Cup in the first book by standing up to his friends. It is no coincidence that he was the other possible "chosen one". Even though he apprears cowardly in the first few books, he matures and grows into the brave Griffindore that the hat saw. I look forward to see how he plays into the final outcome. Somehow I think he will contribute significantly by preventing the trio from doing something stupid!

I would like to see Charlie have a vital role for Harry with his curse-breaking skills. I would like to see Neville come into his own. His character is so interesting and complex. He has grown so much. He will stay at Hogwarts and have a pivitol role in the last book. Maybe he'll get Bella in the end!

I like some of your ideas, but I just wanted to point out one small error. Charlie worked with dragons, Bill is/was a curse breaker for Gringotts.

Thanks for that. I think Bill will play an improtant role in the next book. We haven't seen much of him, but I think he has qualities that will help Harry. If he were not important, I don't think he would have been bitten. That opens up lots of potential.

On the subject of Neville, JK has said that one of Harry's classmates will wind up teaching at Hogwarts. I think that it will be Neville. Apart from Hermione and Harry himself, we only know of one other student in Harry's year that earned an "Outstanding" on their O.W.L. - Neville. Neville's not really qualified to teach D.A.D.A, and since he wasn't allowed to take the O.W.L. Transfiguration class, we can assume that his Transfiguration skills aren't all that terrific. He earned the O.W.L. in Herbology, but Professor Sprout teaches that class. Will she move to a new class to teach? If so, which will it be?

Someone said before how Flitwick was a dueling champion in his youth, and that he could use that to become the new D.A.D.A professor. I think that Sprout will then take Flitwick's place as Charms professor. So what about the Transfiguration teacher? An interesting person would be an Animagus, like Professor McGonagall. Everyone that we know of, who is an Animagus is either dead, or with Voldemort. Except one - Rita Skeeter. The Animagus transformation spell is highly advanced magic, so it's safe to say that Rita is quite capable with Transfiguration spells. I really can't see her as a professor, though. We also know of 6 other registered Animagi from this century. Could one of them be an Order member who we don't know yet? If so, will that person become the Transfiguration professor?

1] Though Tonks is probably masterful at Trasfiguration, would she be too clumsy for teaching at Hogwarts? If she filled that role, I can see her providing a mixture of comic relief and unintentional problems.

2] Remus cannot return as DADA professor, JKR said so in an article (or in her website). Now that the public knows about his "furry little problem", he most-likely wouldn't be allowed to work anywhere, let alone teach at Hogwarts.

3] I agree that Slughorn might stay and would be very useful to Harry, though he would have to basically bribe him for information/help.

4] I can see Hagrid replacing McGonagall as Head of Gryffindor House, but if he stays teaching at Hogwarts (not just groundskeeper/keeper of the keys) will he be able to help Harry as much as might be needed? Another option is for Hagrid and Grumbly-Planks to share the schedule, giving Hagrid more time away to help Harry off-grounds....

5] The addition of Firenze to Hogwarts puts Trelawney in an odder situation as time progresses. She seems to resent him, perhaps because his abilities are more-easily seen by staff/students. We have learned she is a Seer afterall, just not in the way she hoped/pretends. I doubt McGonagall would remove Divination from the curriculum, since Hogwarts provides protection for Trelawney (from Voldemort/DE's) and Firenze (from the centaurs who have disowned him). It is possible that Trelawney leaves Hogwarts and goes into hiding (as Dumbledore offered to Draco for himself and Narcissa). Trouble is, who is going to explain to Trelawney about the danger she's in? Would she be shocked to hear she's made real prophesies, or will her ego get the best of her?

6] Flitwick would be a good candidate for Deputy Headmaster, however I don't think he's in the Order. If he had been, why didn't he send Snape a Patronus message during the attack on Hogwarts instead of going to Snape's quarters? This would have saved time, allowing Flitwick to join the fight while still alerting Snape. There has also been no mention of Flitwick attending Order meetings. Of course, recruitment to the Order has been an ongoing activity during HBP, so he might become a member, though he wouldn't be able to find HQ (JKR has revealed that the Fidelius-Charmed secret died with Dumbledore).

7] About Dumbledore's portrait -- it should be able to help Harry and McGonagall quite a bit, filling in the missing info for each of them (though perhaps only on a need-to-know basis). I have a feeling that even though Snape will not return to teach at any time during Book 7, he will be allowed back into the Order, and I think Dumbledore's portrait will be able to finally solve the mystery of why Dumbledore trusts him. For the sake of the Order (at the very least) Snape must be on their side. Sure, he can't tell anyone where the HQ is, but he still should have access, unless there's something else about the protective spells over the HQ we don't know about.... I also hope that Book 7 will end with the aquittal of Snape and his re-instatement as Potions Master.

8] Though I don't see Bill teaching at Hogwarts, I do see him helping as best he can. I agree that a curse-breaker is a quite an asset when you're hunting cursed objects with the intent to destroy them (before they destroy you).

9] I cannot fathom Viktor or Fleur teaching at Hogwarts, though I expect we'll be seeing them factor into the plot somehow. Viktor would be a great ally for Harry; he could help Harry with understanding more about the Dark Arts, since it could help him with defense against. Also, Viktor and Harry are both superb broom-riders and Quidditch Seekers.... Fleur I figured we would see in a more domestic setting, though if Bill gets heavily involved in Harry's quest, Fleur could be of use, either proving just how much she deserved being a TWT Champion, or at least being the cheer squad (like Hermione has been).

10] We have very little info about Aberforth Dumbledore. He's the owner/keeper of the Hog's Head (JKR did confirm this), so he's apparently the one who caught Snape eavesdropping on Trelawney's interview back in 1979. He's also the brother Albus helped out of some legal issues regarding the improper use of spells, etc. on goats. This has to make one wonder just what he was doing with the poor goats!...and the Hog's Head smells like goats even now.... Somehow I think that IF he became a professor, it would more-likely be DADA than Transfiguration. Not sure why I think this, just that it would be a neat change and add to how different he is from his brother Albus. I doubt he will become a professor. We're not too sure he has much of an education to begin with. His running of the Hog's Head makes me think his membership to the Order is more along the lines of what Mundungus brings to the table -- underground info from the seedier people, those on the outskirts of polite society.

11] I don't see anyone amongst the students (who have recently graduated) who could return to teach. I would hate to see Scrimgeour appoint someone like Percy to fill a position. Besides, JKR has said that someone Harry went to school with would eventually become a Hogwarts professor, and I'm holding out for Neville Longbottom to someday replace Sprout.

Does Harry really has time to return to Hogwarts, as a student I mean? Can Jo really have him attending school, destroying Horcruxes and going after Voldemort, all in one book? Besides, she'd have to introduce the teachers too... I don't think Harry will return there, except to get information every now and then. Besides, Harry is no longer under the protection of Dumbledores spell in september, and therefore in constant danger. I don't think he would want to risc anyone at Hogwarts getting hurt by a gang of DE's coming after him.
I like the idea of Tonks as a Transfiguration teacher. She would be very gifted offcourse, but I wonder if the order can miss their members now dumbledore is dead. They need their informants at the ministry, but at the other hand, they now have only Mcgonnagal at Hogwarts. However, with Dumbledore gone, it might not be smart to have order members at Hogwarts since they to are probably on the DE's top hitlist. An Order Head-Mistress would be riscy enough i think. I think it would be nice to have Aberforth as DADA teacher. It would be an easy way to get him into the picture without too much trouble, since we know Harry will have to meet him during book 7. It would be someone Minerva would trust since he's related to Albus and I think there's a cats - goats thing going on

My conversations with Lady Lupin on this topic...(start from the bottom for chonological order):

Hi again, Aby,

I hear you on the Godric's Hollow questions - somehow, people saw the house afterward. But if the Potters were always "hidden" no matter where they went... that would make life a bit awkward, wouldn't it??

Best,

LL

Aby wrote:
Lady, Lupin,

A few points:

1] I think Hagrid will show Harry Sirius' other bit of property, including the flying motorcycle and perhaps a flat purchased w/ Uncle Alphard's money. However, Hagrid might or might not be able to show Harry where the Potters were attacked in Godric's Hollow. Peter Pettigrew could prove necessary for that info, but I think not. Guess it depends what the target of the Fidelius Charm was: the location or the people. My guess is the people, since they kept moving around...otherwise the charm would have to be cast every time they moved hiding places, right? Besides, Hagrid's comment about the Muggles suggests the ruins of the house could be seen by anyone. Even Fudge and his ministry poeple seemed to have no trouble finding the place in the aftermath....

2] At least three people know what danger Trelawney's in: Harry, Aberforth, and Severus. Who's going to make Minerva keep Trelawney safe at Hogwarts? Maybe no one. Maybe Hogwarts won't be safe enough for her now.... Time to hide, methinks!

3] I can't wait for Aberforth to come out from the shadows. Nice one about the bezoars! I hadn't thought about that...a black market in bezoars.... Aberforth would be a good bet on clearing Snape's name with the rest of the Order, especially if Albus' portrait proves to be less useful than I had hoped. I mean, what's so great about a portrait of Albus if all it does is ask if you want a sherbert lemon?

I have a few thoughts about the roster editorial.
1] Though Tonks is probably masterful at Trasfiguration, would she be too clumsy for teaching at Hogwarts? If she filled that role, I can see her providing a mixture of comic relief and unintentional problems. OH, BUT IT COULD BE SO FUNNY... NO, I DOUBT IT WILL BE TONKS. SHE'LL HAVE OTHER WORK TO DO.
2] Remus cannot return as DADA professor, JKR said so in an article (or in her website). Now that the public knows about his "furry little problem", he most-likely wouldn't be allowed to work anywhere, let alone teach at Hogwarts. YES, I READ THAT AFTER THE EDITORIAL WAS POSTED. DIDN'T EXPECT IT, BUT LIVE IN HOPE. ACTUALLY, I AM JUST HOPING FOR LUPIN'S SURVIVAL!
3] I agree that Slughorn might stay and would be very useful to Harry, though he would have to basically bribe him for information/help. ABSOLUTELY.
4] I can see Hagrid replacing McGonagall as Head of Gryffindor House, but if he stays teaching at Hogwarts (not just groundskeeper/keeper of the keys) will he be able to help Harry as much as might be needed? Another option is for Hagrid and Grumbly-Planks to share the schedule, giving hagrid more time away to help Harry off-grounds....GOOD POINT. I THINK HAGRID WILL TAKE HARRY TO GODRIC'S HOLLOW, PERHAPS, BUT THAT WILL BE BEFORE SCHOOL. STILL, HAGRID WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT TO BOOK SEVEN, MARK MY WORDS, SO GRUBBLY-PLANK MAY BE BACK. I HOPE SO. I LIKE HER.
5] The addition of Firenze to Hogwarts puts Trelawney in an odder situation as time progresses. She seems to resent him, perhaps because his abilities are more-easily seen by staff/students. We have learned she is a Seer afterall, just not in the way she hoped/pretends. I doubt McGonagall would remove Divination from the curiculum, since Hogwarts provides protection for Trelawney (from Voldemort/DE's) and Firenze (from the centaurs who have disowned him). It is possible that Trelawney leaves Hogwarts and goes into hiding (as Dumbledore offered to Draco for himself and Narcissa). Trouble is, who is going to explain to Trelawney about the danger she's in? Would she be shocked to hear she's made real prophesies, or will her ego get the best of her? HERE'S THE QUESTION - DOES ANYONE BUT HARRY KNOW THE DANGER SHE IS IN? REMEMBER, DUMBLEDORE TOLD HARRY THAT THE TWO OF THEM WERE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO KNEW THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THAT PROPHECY. WILL HARRY HAVE TO SPEAK UP IN ORDER TO SAVE TRELAWNEY?
6] Flitwick would be a good candidate for Deputy Headmaster, however I don't think he's in the Order. If he had been, why didn't he send Snape a patronus message during the attack on Hogwarts instead of going to Snape's quarters? This would have saved time, allowing Flitwick to join the fight while still alerting Snape. There has also been no mention of Flitwick attending Order meetings. Of course, recruitment to the Order has been an ongoing activity during HBP, so he might become a member, though he wouldn't be able to find HQ (that secret died with Dumbledore). I HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT FLITWICK'S ROLE AS WELL - I TOUCH ON THIS IN MY NEXT PIECE, "PASTICHE DU POTTER," WHICH SHOULD BE UP THIS WEEK, I HOPE! TRYING TO CLEAR MY MAILBOX BEFORE SUBMITTING!
7] About Dumbledore's portrait -- it should be able to help Harry and McGonagall quite a bit, filling in the missing info for each of them. I have a feeling that even though Snape will not return to teach at any time during Book 7, he will be allowed back into the Order, and I think Dumbledore's portrait will be able to finally solve the mystery of why Dumbledore trusts him. For the sake of the Order (at the very least) Snape must be on their side. Sure, he can't tell anyone where the HQ is, but he still should have access, unless there's something else about the protective spells over the HQ we don't know about.... MAYBE - THE PORTRAITS ARE INTERESTING - JO HAS TOLD US THAT THEY ARE ONLY SO MUCH HELP, BECAUSE THEY ARE ONLY A FAINT ECHO OF THE LIVING BEING, AND NOT THE WHOLE PERSONALITY.
8] Though I don't see Bill teaching at Hogwarts, I do see him helping as best he can. I agree that a curse-breaker is a quite an asset when you're hunting cursed objects with the intent to destroy them. AGREED. HE COULD TEACH AS WELL, BUT I'M SURE HE'LL HELP HARRY SOMEHOW.
9] I cannot fathom Viktor or Fleur teaching at Hogwarts, though I expect we'll be seeing them factor into the plot somehow. Viktor would be a great ally for Harry; he could help Harry with understanding more about the Dark Arts, since it could help him with defense against. Also, Viktor and Harry are both superb broom-riders and Quidditch Seekers.... Fleur I figured we would see in a more domestic setting, though if Bill gets heavily involved in Harry's quest, Fleur could be of use, either proving just how much she deserved being a TWT Champion, or at least being the cheer squad (like Hermione has been). FLEUR IS A QUESTION MARK, YES. SHE PROVED MORE METTLE THAN I THOUGHT SHE HAD, BUT HASN'T REALLY PROVEN HERSELF MUCH YET. VIKTOR WILL BE INVOLVED, AND DARK ARTS MAKE SENSE. OR, MAYBE A HORCRUX HUNT WILL TAKE HARRY TO THE NORTH COUNTRIES?
10] We have very little info about Aberforth Dumbledore. He's the owner/keeper of the Hog's Head (JKR did confirm this), so he's apparently the one who caught Snape eavesdropping on Trelawney's interview back in 1979. He's also the brother Albus helped out of some legal issues regarding the improper use of spells, etc. on goats. This has to make one wonder just what he was doing with the poor goats!...and the Hog's Head smells like goats even now.... Somehow I think that IF he became a professor, it would more-likely be DADA than Transfiguration. Not sure why I think this, just that it would be a neat change and add to how different he is from his brother Albus. I doubt he will become a professor. We're not too sure he has much of an education to begin with. His running of the Hog's Head makes me think his membership to the Order is more along the lines of what Mundungus brings to the table -- underground info from the seedier people, those on the outskirts of polite society. HE IS AN ENIGMA, INDEED. PERSONALLY, I BELIEVE HE IS RUNNING A THRIVING BLACK MARKET TRADE IN BEZORES! HE'LL BE USEFUL. HE MIGHT KNOW SOMETHING OF THE SNAPE HISTORY AS WELL. I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED FOR HIM TO TURN OUT TO HAVE BEEN ALBUS' PRIMARY CONFIDANT, AND TO KNOW A LOT ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON.
11] I don't see anyone amongst the students (who have recently graduated) who could return to teach. I would hate to see Scrimgeour appoint someone like Percy to fill a position. Besides, JKR has said that someone Harry went to school with would eventually become a Hogwarts professor, and I'm holding out for Neville Longbottom to someday replace Sprout.
Just my thoughts. I COMPLETELY AGREE. IT MUST BE NEVILLE AND HERBOLOGY. HE WOULD BE A WONDERFUL TEACHER - MY FEAR IS THAT THIS DOESN'T BODE WELL FOR PROF. SPROUT! WILL WE HEAR THAT 'SOMEDAY' AFTER HER LONG AND HAPPY LIFE SHE DIES AND NEVILLE TAKES OVER? OR, WILL WE LOSE PROF. SPROUT TO THE DARK FORCES AND WILL NEVILLE HAVE A JOB SOON AFTER GRADUATING? I AM VERY HOPEFUL OF NEVILLE'S SURVIVAL AND ULTIMATE SUCCESS AS A KIND AND GIFTED PROFESSOR WHO WILL HAVE GREAT COMPASSION FOR THE DIFFICULTIES OF BEING A STUDENT.
Thanks,
Arran (AbyBlutjager)

Lady Lupin,
I’ve only just discovered your editorials and am really enjoying them. Your insight are very good, almost too good! Have you been this close to being right on the other books? It would be interesting to see you editorials/predictions about the others.
As to whether or not McGonagall knows about the prophecy, there is a clue that she might in book 5, pg 595. When she helps Sibyll, before Dumbledore gets there, she says:
“There, there, Sibyll . . . Calm down. . . Blow your nose on this. . . It’s not as bad as you think, now. . . You are not going to have to leave Hogwarts. . . “
Why else would she make this statement? She must have known that Dumbledore was protecting her. Maybe she didn’t know the prophecy, but she must have known that Sibyll had to remain at Hogwarts for her protection.

Sorry... I didn't read any of these posts... I had to hurry and ost ym own, might be leaving soon...

What does it matter? So what if Hogwarts has a new teacher or two? (One to take over for Snape and one for McGonagal) It's not like they're going to Hogwarts anyways. Harry is leaving his aunt and uncle, he's leaving Hogwarts, so does it matter? He might go back to finish so he can be an Auror, but not until The Dark Lord is dead, so do we need to worry about that right now? There's prolly gonna end up being 2 chapters in the whole book where they're at Hogwarts.

__________________
Snape is a bad guy! YAY! I knew he'd never betray the Death Eaters! Na na na na na na! No more Dumbledork! We're gonna win, The Dark Lord will win and there's nothing the Potter boy can do. Haha.

Personally I don't think Harry will even know who the new teachers will be! Maybe someone will mention it sometime in the books, but I don't think it matters, though I love the idea of Hagrid being head of Griffindor! I'm sure that I read somewhere that JK said he was in Griffindor!
But I think there is no chance that he will turn back to Hogwarts as a student! But I'm sure he will go back! I think that a Horecrux is in Hogwarts, in the trophy room or the room of requirements, or even the Slytherin house. The chamber of secrets could be an option, but I'm not sure.
I am sure he will have to get more information from Dumbledor! Many people have suggested the portrait of Dumbledor will help him, but personally I don't think it will be able to help him much, though it might not be entirely useless! The reason for this is because I'm sure I've read somewhere that JK said something about that even if Harry had a portrait of his parents it wouldn't help him much because portraits aren't THE people themselves, they are more of a memory or something that reflects the way they thought as a living person. ( look at ms.Blacks portrait!, she keeps repeating the same fraises,) but I cant seem to find where she said that, if anyone knows pleas tell me
But, what about his pensive? it holds Dumbledors thoughts!

__________________"The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy,I thought everyone knew that.They're working from within to bring down the Ministry of Magicusing a combination of Dark magic and gum disease."

I think it is important who will be the proffesors whether Harry turns back to Hogwarts or not. Since the start, Hogwarts and its teachers have played really important roles on the series and i'm sure they will.

__________________Inspector

High Inspector of the Wizarding World; Order of Merlin, Third Class; Ex-Member of the British Wizengamot; Proffessor of Alchemy and Chemistry in The Babylonian University of Hermetic Arts; Archimage of Persia; Honourary Member of the International Confederation for Magical Coordination and Cooperation; Head of The Floo Network Authority (Floo Network Head Ragulator) in Türkiye (Turkey)

I would like to agree (and hope) with your point that Slughorn will be of help to Harry in book 7, but I'm afraid I see Slughorn as being one of the more potentially dangerous characters. This is not out of his intentions, but out of his weaknesses. As you said, Slughorn has shown himself to be easily manipulated - by Tom Riddle, by Dumbledore, by Harry, by anyone who Slughorn thinks can make his existence more comfortable - and I see this as a good possibility for misdirection in book 7. Your point in the column about Dumbledore's statement clearing Slughorn as a potential DE makes sense, but Dumbledore was fooled by Crouch / Moody in GoF, right? I see Slughorn as a ripe candidate for the Imperius Curse, and he could be trouble for one of the characters we are rooting for.

I would like to agree (and hope) with your point that Slughorn will be of help to Harry in book 7, but I'm afraid I see Slughorn as being one of the more potentially dangerous characters. This is not out of his intentions, but out of his weaknesses. As you said, Slughorn has shown himself to be easily manipulated - by Tom Riddle, by Dumbledore, by Harry, by anyone who Slughorn thinks can make his existence more comfortable - and I see this as a good possibility for misdirection in book 7. Your point in the column about Dumbledore's statement clearing Slughorn as a potential DE makes sense, but Dumbledore was fooled by Crouch / Moody in GoF, right? I see Slughorn as a ripe candidate for the Imperius Curse, and he could be trouble for one of the characters we are rooting for.

i agree somewhat. slughorn will definitly continue to be a character, and his weaknesses will play a part- but i dont think he is important enough to make a book- altering change in that way.